Studemo.txt data Accuracy and Validation

The Studemo.txt is the first file to begin pulling in student data; it includes 64 columns of data that contains all key student information. Much of the data is used for District and State Reporting. Most common issues with the Studemo.txt file are the result of different naming conventions of various fields between SIS systems. This can cause failure to pull in certain fields and errors in lining up codes. With that in mind, take your time confirming the accuracy of student data; in addition to these AVCs, you should also do a direct comparison of several students from each site, program, and grade level to make sure the data pulled was consistently accurate across the board. Remember, SIS migrations and data extracts tend to shed a bright light on the different tracking and input methods incorporated at various individual sites. Stay alert for these and correct potential discrepancies before moving on to the next file.

AVC 1 (Race Codes)

The import file spec incorporates up to 5 Race Code fields, each of which references the corresponding ethnicity code table. If your SIS used a difference Race Code or, perhaps, your extract pulls out codes that do not match the Ethnicity Code table in Illuminate, you may be required to create Transformations either via the extract or within the Illuminate Data Tools. For more on reporting Race/Ethnicity, Click Here. To start your validation, follow the below directions to identify the Ethnicity Code Table.

To begin, click on your admin gear and select Code Management from the dropdown.

*Note: You can also navigate the system using the Quick Switcher. If you are using a PC, hit CTRL and the letter K on your keyboard. If you are using a Mac, hit command and the letter K. Next, you will see a pop-up modal on your screen. Type the menu heading or task you want to complete, in this case you would type “User Management”.

Next, click in the open dropdown and type in Ethnicity. Select Ethnicity from the dropdown and click Load.

The below list will show all the current Ethnicity Code table in Illuminate. Please reference these codes when importing data in.

Once you have confirmed you are using the appropriate Ethnicity Codes, you can begin the process of Race Code validation for all of your students. There will be 3 reports to check. The first provides an aggregate total # of students per race (or two or more races), the second identifies any students who do not have any race identified, and the third provides a student list report that can be filtered by race, thus enabling you to view students by race. As always, this should be considered a comparison between your existing SIS data.

Use Data Check - Studemo.txt AVC (Race Codes - Aggregate Total) to check the total numbers of each race. This report lists all 3 imported fields and aggregates based off of each combination of those fields. For example, students who are marked both 700 and 600 will be aggregated together while students who are 600, 100, and 700 will be aggregated separately. This prevents a student from counting as a duplicate. Remember to run a comparable report in the prior SIS to check number accuracy.

Use Data Check - Studemo.txt AVC (Race Codes - No Race) to view students who do not have a race code entered for them. For these students, check the file and the prior SIS to identify where there error is coming from.

Use Data Check - Studemo.txt AVC (Race Codes - Student List with Race) to run a report which shows all students and their corresponding Race(s). For additional usefulness, you can add filters to limit the results down to just students of a specific race. This can be helpful when attempting to identify why numbers are not matching up.

AVC 2 (Is Hispanic)

Since Hispanic is not recognized as a race (it is an ethnicity within a race) on the federal level, it is treated as a boolean field. This means that a student will have a race of 700 and then a corresponding Yes or No response to Is Hispanic? This process for handling Hispanic students might be different than your prior SIS; due to that, pay special attention during this process. Hispanic cannot be brought over as a race and, for accurate reporting, must be tracked as part of this Boolean question.

Since Hispanic is tracked separately from race, you will want to first make sure that all hispanic students have an appropriate race code being brought over and then make sure all hispanic students have been set correctly.

Use Data Check - Studemo.txt AVC (Aggregate Total by Site) to view the total number of students set as Is Hispanic by site. Counts should match between Illuminate and the prior SIS.

Additionally, use Data Check - Studemo.txt AVC (Is Hispanic - Student View) to view a student list of all students marked as Is Hispanic? Yes. This report includes their Race Codes as well, so additional Race Code validation can occur.

AVC 3 (Key Language Fields)

When pulling in various Language related fields, errors do occur but are avoidable. Remember, this is the first extract that grabs language information, but not the only one. The language.txt also will pull in language related information; make sure that the data pulled in the Studemo.txt matches exactly with the corresponding fields in the language.txt.

For the Studemo.txt columns 12-15, 18, and 56-57 specifically refer to the Primary Language Code, Correspondence Language Code, English Proficiency/Language Fluency Code, English Learn/LEP Date, US School Entry Date, State School Entry Date, and Redesignation Date; the language.txt will also grab LEP Date as column 7, Redesignation Date as column 8, US School Entry Date as column 13, and CA School Entry Date as column 14. To check the accuracy of the above Studemo.txt specific data, please view the following three reports. Remember to compare the counts and students to relevant data within your legacy SIS.

Use Data Check - Studemo.txt AVC (Primary Language Code and Correspondence Language Code) to check the accuracy of this data brought over. Use the filters to limit the results down to just 1 specific language for each column.

Use Data Check - Studemo.txt AVC (English Proficiency, LEP date, US and School Entry Dates, and Redesignation Date) to view all students who have a set English Proficiency that is not English Only.

Use Data Check - Studemo.txt AVC (English Learner Aggregate Total by Site) to check your total EL number by site.

AVC 4 (Primary and Secondary Disability)

As part of the Studemo.txt, specific Special Education information is brought in: column 12 - Primary Disability and column 55 - Secondary Disability. These are very important pieces of information as Illuminate, unlike many other SIS, does not treat Special Education as a program. This confusion often results in districts bringing Special Education in under the program.txt and leaving the above to fields blank. Any program brought over in this manner will not link to the Special Education module. To have a student marked as SPED within Illuminate, either a Primary or Secondary Disability must be brought over via either the Studemo.txt or the Specialed.txt. It is recommended to use the Specialed.txt when pulling in this data as errors with start/end dates are less likely to occur. For more on reporting Special Education, Click Here.

To check the accuracy of your Special Education data, please use Data Check - Studemo.txt AVC 4 (Primary and Secondary Disability). This report will show a list of all students who have either a Primary or Secondary Disability. Additional Special Education reports will be available with the specialed.txt validation.

AVC 5 (504 Accommodations and Case Manager)

504 Accommodations and Review Dates are brought over in the Studemo.txt. Unlike Special Education, in order for accurate reporting, 504 programs are brought over in the programs.txt as a program. With that in mind, it is important to acknowledge that, by separating these fields into 2 imports, errors and confusion can arise. To prevent this, make sure to view both the report below (showing all 504 accommodations and Review Date fields) as well as the 504 report within the programs.txt validation.

To confirm accuracy, please use Data Check - Studemo.txt AVC 5 (504 Accommodations and Review Date). The goal of this report is to help you confirm by comparing the list of students in Illuminate with a similar list from your Legacy SIS. If the accommodations do not match, please review your extract.

AVC 6 (Parent/Guardian Highest Education Level)

This field is very important as it will be used as part of the automatic calculation for SED. This field, in conjunction with Lunch Program data (brought over via the programs.txt) will designate the student as part of the SED population. If a student is participating in a Free or Reduced lunch program OR if a student’s parent’s highest level of education is not a high school graduate, they will be considered to be a part of the SED population (https://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/ap/glossary06e.asp).